


Lead On

by RoseLaflesh



Series: Ruby and Ruby [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Death, F/F, Fear, No longer fluff, One Shot, Still a little fluff, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 17:51:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8111770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseLaflesh/pseuds/RoseLaflesh
Summary: Leggy and Eyeball have been saved from floating aimlessly in space, but their rescuer has a bad attitude and even worse reputation.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't going to make another Leggy/Eyeball fic at first, but since people have been asking for it, I figured I might as well. 
> 
> Since this will probably be an ongoing ship, I think it needs its own name. I was thinking Legball, but if you can come up with something that doesn't sound like a kinky sport, I'm all ears. Then again, these are starting to become a break from the fluff pieces I've been writing, so maybe kinky works.

Who knows how long the two Rubies had been sitting on that piece of rock. They hadn’t moved much, but with so little ground, there wasn’t much point. They hadn’t said much, but that suited the Rubies just fine. They had already said what needed to be said, and now all there was to do was wait for what ever will happen to happen.

It was a long wait. Neither of them kept track of the time, but they knew they had been floating for a while, staring at the stars. Never once did they let go of each other’s hands. They held each other partly as a sign of affection, and partly to remind themselves that there was someone else in this big, cruel universe.

After who knows how long, Leggy noticed one of the stars acted different. It had jumped from one point to another. 

Leggy jumped to her feet and pointed in the direction of the strange star. “Look there! What was that?”

Eyeball just about toppled over when Leggy moved. She had grown so used to leaning against the other gem that her balance was thrown off. Annoyed to have lost her support, she growled, “What?”

“A star was in one position, and then it moved.”

“Stars don’t move. You must have been seeing things.”

“No, I’m not. Look, it moved again!”

“Where?” Eyeball stood up and scanned the stars for movement. “I don’t see…” Just as she said that, one of the lights in the sky blinked out and appeared in another space.

“Did you see that?” Leggy squeaked.

“Yeah, and I know exactly what that is.” Eyeball grinned confidently and lit up her gem, sending a beam of light in the direction of the not star.

After a minute, the star blinked out again and a gem ship was on top of them. It was twice the size of the Rubies’ pod. A bright search light blinded the two Rubies to everything that wasn’t on the asteroid. The ship settled down, and a platform descended. A tall Golden Beryl stepped into view. She towered over the two Rubies. She looked over them with an expression that was half curious. The marquise cut gem on her left shoulder was the only part of her skin other than her face that was exposed out of the piles of flowing yellow robes. As she glided closer, they could see the diamond pattern that was subtly woven in.

“We’re saved,” cheered Leggy.

Eyeball recognized this gem. She had heard many rumors and none of them good. But given their situation, she bowed low to the other gem. “We are two members of Ruby squad T9E Delta. Thank you for taking the time to retrieve us. We are very grateful.”

“Of course you are,” The tall gem said with the confidence that most Beryls had. Her eyes fixed onto Leggy. “Why hasn’t she bowed yet?”

Fear spread on on Eyeball’s face as she looked to see that Leggy was still standing. She shuffled towards her, doing her best not to lift her head as she grabbed onto the other Ruby and forced her into an even lower bow.

“My deepest apologies. She is new and still has much to learn,” Eyeball said, taking a few steps to shield Leggy from the superior gem.

“Then why haven’t you taught her? You are her senior, aren’t you?”

“The opportunity never came up. We were on a mission to retrieve a Jasper. I would have taught her then, but we failed to locate Jasper, and the Crystal Gems…”

“I don’t care about that.”

“Ma’am?”

“As her senior, you need to be a leader to the gems under you. Whether you are first or second in command, you need either respect or fear to make others follow your lead. Since it’s clear you don’t have respect, what should you do?” Golden Beryl said as if the answer should be self evident to everyone.

Eyeball swallowed down a heavy lump of fear. She had hoped that the stories about this Golden Beryl were just stories, but her suggestion to make Leggy fear her all but confirmed Eyeball’s worry. Golden Beryl was indeed a cruel gem, and the only way out of this alive was to not become her target.

“Sorry,” Eyeball said as quietly as possible.

Before Leggy realized what was happening, Eyeball knocked her to the ground with a swift punch to the head. “Remember to always show respect to your superiors,” Eyeball shouted, hoping to sell the display of a strict leader.

Golden Beryl snorted with a half smirk. Not fully convinced of the display. 

“It’s a start,” She said, looking at Eyeball, “We’ll discuss your leadership qualities in private.”

Sorry didn’t even begin to explain the regret that Eyeball felt, but if there was any lesson she learned in her millennia of life, it was that when a superior gem gives an order, no matter how degrading, obedience could mean the matter between life and death. While the shattering of gems has been suspended until resources improve, she still didn’t want to risk it. There are still worse things than death.

Eyeball led Leggy into the ship where Golden Beryl stood. A Tiger’s Eye worked the controls while a Pearl stood in the corner. In the other corner stood Doc. The two Rubies rushed to greet their squad leader. Doc quickly showed some quiet concern for Leggy’s injuries but her pity was cut short when Leggy asked where the others were. Doc didn’t answer, she just shook her head. The Rubies assumed the worst.

“Come with me,” Golden Beryl demanded. She didn’t specify who she was talking to, but Eyeball knew it was her orders and she parted from her friends. 

“I appreciate your kindness. I know you didn’t have to save us,” Eyeball quickly said as she fell in step with Golden Beryl, “I don’t know how we’re going to repay you.”

“I can think of a few ways,” Golden Beryl said so quietly it was almost to herself.

“Ma’am?” Eyeball stuttered.

The door opened automatically as they approached it. “Come on in,” She said, swooping into the room.

Eyeball hesitated for a second. She knew something bad was waiting for her once she entered that room. 

Golden Beryl noticed that Eyeball hadn’t moved and growled, “You are on my ship, which makes me in charge. Go inside.”

Eyeball quickly hurried into the room. The doors closed behind her, almost catching her heel. The room was good size. Its existence was already a waste of space, and it was built large enough to accommodate even the diamonds. A circle of chairs surrounded a diamond shaped table. Monitors covered nearly every bit of wall space. Half of them were off and the other half were displaying star maps from various parts of the universe. It was clear that this ship was of greater importance than Eyeball first expected. She stood at the edge of the room, scared to take any movement not requested.

“Take a seat,” Golden Beryl ordered.

Eyeball hurried over to the closest chair and sat down. The chair was designed for a larger gem than herself, so it took a bit of scrambling to get on. Once she was seated, she noticed that Golden Beryl was still standing. Somehow she seemed even more imposing than before even though the chair put Eyeball at a higher view point. 

Eyeball waited for something to happen. She knew she was in here to receive punishment, but instead Golden Beryl busied herself the monitors, quietly humming to herself. The anticipation for something to happen put Eyeball on edge. She wanted to scream in frustration but held back. There was no need to make the situation worse, and Golden Beryl had a cruel streak. Eyeball did what she did best and kept her mouth shut.

“My you’re quiet,” Golden Beryl finally said, although she did not look away from the screen. “I bet you’re wondering why I’ve been ignoring you for so long. Most gems do by this point.”

“You did say you wanted to talk about my leadership.”

“Yes. You see, I’ve just been reading your files. There’s some very interesting stuff. You’ve been around longer than most soldier gems, haven’t you. You’re either very lucky or very smart.”

“I don’t know about either of those.”

Golden Beryl turned off the screen and glided over to Eyeball. “Modesty is a valued trait, but confidence is better.” She set a hand on Eyeball’s right shoulder. It took all her effort not to shrug it off.

“You seem scared of me.”

“No, ma’am.”

Golden Beryl chuckled and leaned down to Eyeball’s ear to whisper, “You should.” She walked to Eyeball’s other side, gently trailing her hands along. “When I was a young gem, almost the same age as your subordinate out there, I first met My Diamond to receive my first duties. Do you know what her advice to me was?”

Eyeball shook her head.

“She told me that a gem will only obey someone they respect or fear, and that it’s hard for someone to fake fear, but it’s even harder for someone to lose their respect. Have both, and no one will ever rise up against you. I think she’s right, don’t you?”

Eyeball wasn’t sure what she needed to say, but thankfully Golden Beryl continued.

“I mean, you were there for that Earth fiasco. If there is a better example of that lesson, I don’t know where it is. Pink Diamond wasn’t feared enough, and she was shattered. Blue Diamond wasn’t respected enough, and she lost a good deal of her court to the rebellion. Only My Diamond brought an end to the conflict. I don’t think that there’s a single gem that doesn’t utterly respect and fear her. Don’t you?”

Eyeball nodded her head.

Her finger narrowed and stretched until it became a claw, making small rips in Eyeball’s form. Nothing deep enough that they couldn’t close instantly, but they both knew that wasn’t the point. She couldn’t stop herself from shaking, but she kept her mouth shut. This seemed to please Golden Beryl.

“Of course, betrayal is a good way to break that respect.” A growl started to rumble from the bottom of Golden Beryl’s throat. “I kept everyone in line. I took every duty that would ensure all went smoothly, even the roles that were beneath me, and here I am, banished!”

Golden Beryl took a moment to recover herself. “Besides, it’s all her fault anyway. One thing I learned that she never taught is that followers will always mimic those in charge of them. She’s a gem who would do anything, and so am I. Given what happened earlier, what do you suppose that Ruby says about you?”

Eyeball was shaking by this point. Far too terrified to speak.

“My you really are a quiet one, aren’t you? How about we make a bet? I bet you could stay quiet through anything.” They emphasis she put on ‘anything’ chilled Eyeball to her core. 

“Bet?” Eyeball quietly stuttered.

Her grin grew crueler. “Yes. If you can stay quiet through your punishment, I’ll let you and all your Ruby followers stay on board until we return to Homeworld.”

Eyeball swallowed down her terror. 

“If you can’t, then we’ll see if your leader can finish your promise for you. If she can’t, then I’ll dump you all on the nearest bit of rock. Is it a deal?”

Eyeball nodded. It wasn't as if she felt there was any actual choice in the matter.

“Good,” Golden Beryl said with a deep chuckle as she dragged her claw over Eyeball’s gem. Eyeball closed her eye and waited for what will come. “Let’s get started.” A hand’s worth of claws buried themselves into Eyeball’s shoulder. Eyeball let out a soundless gasp, struggling to control her voice. “And if you dissipate your form before we’re done, then you’re all getting thrown into space regardless of where we are.” Another hand stabbed its way into Eyeball’s thigh. “Understand?”

Eyeball nodded. Tears pricked at the corner of her eye.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ever since Eyeball went into the room, Leggy hasn’t taken her eyes off the door. “They’ve been in there for a long time,” Leggy whispered to Doc.

“I’m so sorry. If she wasn’t about to destroy the asteroid you were on, I would have never asked to bring you on board,” Doc said, barely audible. Her voice was raw with the effort to suppress her fear.

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you know who that is?”

Leggy shook her head.

“That Golden Beryl is the ex-head of the Diamond Enforcement. She’s on... leave after several… Incidents.” Doc swallowed a lump in her throat as she tried to use the most innocuous terms she could think of. The sly look on the Pearl’s face didn’t escape her notice.

“What sort of incidents?” Leggy asked, oblivious to the tension in the room.

Doc hushed Leggy when the Pearl’s gaze moved to the younger gem. The Tiger’s Eye hunched over the controls, pretending to be too engrossed in her duty to be part of the conversation.

“What sort of incidents?” Leggy asked again, this time at a whisper.

Doc looked between the Pearl and the Tiger’s Eye and the door as she considered the risks. “They say she’s smashed some gems.” Doc spoke so low that Leggy almost couldn’t hear her, but she caught enough of the secret to understand.

“But that’s not…” Doc quickly covered Leggy’s mouth to silence her.

“It’s why she’s out here and not on Homeworld with the rest of the Beryls.”

Leggy went quiet as she looked to the door Eyeball had disappeared into hours ago. “Do you think…?” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

Doc shook her head. “I don’t know. According to her, I’m on my last strike. Ruby’s a good soldier and rarely fails, but there’s no telling Golden Beryl’s plans.”

The door opened and Golden Beryl walked out. Her eyes scanned the room before settling on the two Rubies. “Good news. You all can stay! Catch,” She said calmly as she tossed Eyeball’s gem towards them. 

Leggy caught it. She quickly examined the gem. To her relief, there wasn’t so much as a scratch. As Leggy cradled Eyeball’s gem to her chest, the Pearl quietly walked up to Golden Beryl and got her attention with a small tug on her robes. Golden Beryl leaned down so that the Pearl could whisper in her ear. 

“I expected as much,” Golden Beryl said once Pearl was done talking, “Good job.” She gave the Pearl a gentle pat on the head before straightening up.

She stared at the Rubies, who froze under her gaze. “Tell me, Pearl, have I ever caused you any sort of harm?”

“No, ma’am,” The Pearl said proudly.

“And you know why that is, right?” Golden Beryl’s gaze never strayed from the Rubies, letting them know that this was their lesson.

“Because I always fulfill my duties, nothing more or less.”

“Yes,” Golden Beryl said with a nod. “Tiger’s Eye, have you ever suffered by my hand?”

“Once,” The gem squeaked.

“Why was that?”

“I questioned your directions.”

“Yes.” She focused solely on Doc now. “I understand that there are many rumors flying around about me. I don’t know what information you have on me, but allow me to set the truth straight. I have shattered 10 unfixable gems and I have allowed myself to be temporarily banished by My Diamond. You see, gems like yourselves will continue to fail and cause trouble if the punishment does not escalate with each offense. You’d think that’d be a lesson the Diamonds would have learned after the Earth fiasco, which only ended once they finally had the nerve to shatter everyone there. Quality should always trump quantity. That’s why I took this job because Emeralds are far too flawed to understand that, and that’s why I allowed myself to be banished. Once enough chaos begins taking over our empire, then they’ll be begging for my just hand. Your group is an excellent example of what I mean. A simple observation mission botched, followed by a recovery mission that ends with all five Rubies floating aimlessly in space? I can only imagine how horrible things are back on Homeworld.” She looked to Leggy, who was now shuddering and clutching Eyeball’s gem like a child would their teddy bear. “Of course, I always believe in fairness, and that it’s those in charge who are most to blame. Isn’t that right, Ruby?” Doc nodded obediently.

The situation was starting to settle in for Leggy. “Does that mean she’s in trouble for…” Her eyes fell to the gem in her hands.

“Of course not. One punishment for one failure.” She smiled at Leggy, this time there was no malice anyone could detect. “Your show of loyalty is wonderful to see. Loyalty is an excellent trait when well placed. Tell me, young one, who are you most loyal to?”

Leggy began to stutter. After all she heard, she didn’t know the answer to that anymore. “Yellow Diamond?” she said, hoping that was the right answer.

“Is that an answer or a question?” Golden Beryl said with the patience of an elementary school teacher.

Leggy took a quick look towards Doc, who was nodding her head frantically trying to signal the correct response. “Answer?” Leggy said, looking back to Golden Beryl.

“What about the leader of your squad?” She pinched Doc’s shoulder and pulled the terrified Ruby to her side. “If I told you that because of your actions, I have to smash this Ruby.”

“Don’t!” Leggy begged.

Golden Beryl shook a finger to scold Leggy. “Don’t interrupt me. I would smash her unless you agreed to take the punishment. Would you let your leader die?”

“No.” Leggy was on the verge of tears, clutching Eyeball’s gem close for comfort. 

Golden Beryl noticed the behavior and snatched the Ruby from Leggy’s hands. “You seem to be very attached to this Ruby. Do you care more about her than your leader?”

“I…I…” Leggy began bawling. She was done with this game. Both these gems had been with her most of her life so far and she didn’t want to choose the life of either of them. She knew the true answer to that question, but she was smart enough to know that wasn’t the answer she was supposed to give. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

“I want your honesty,” Golden Beryl said softly, “Hypothetically, if you could only save one Ruby, which one would it be?” She held Eyeball between the thumb and index of her right hand while pinching Doc’s gem with the thumb and index of the other like she was ready to crush either gem at Leggy’s command. “And I can tell if you’re lying.” A predatory grin returned to her face.

Leggy lifted a shaky hand, pointing to Eyeball. “But this is hypothetically, right?”

“Yes,” Golden Beryl said, frowning slightly. Just as Leggy began to relax, she added, “But, also hypothetically, if said Ruby leader was on her last strike and as a leader can’t even keep the respect of the lowest member of her squadron, well…” Doc had just enough time to let out a scream before her form fizzled out and the rough shards of what used to be her gem clattered on the floor.

“You can have her back now.” Golden Beryl tossed Eyeball back to Leggy. “When she reforms let her know that she’s been promoted to leader of Ruby Squad T9E Delta. Tiger’s Eye, begin the search for the rest of the squad. They couldn’t have floated too far, and Pearl, please let me know when she does reform. I’d like to debrief her personally. And no body clean up. There are some images words can’t buy.” She walked back into her room, closing the door behind her.

\----------------------------------------------------

Eyeball reformed an hour later. Beyond a slightly thicker shoulder band, she kept her uniform much the same. Leggy had curled into a ball as she sat on the floor. As much as she wanted to take in the sight of the gem she loved, she couldn’t tear her eyes from the pile of gem shards, which had already begun instinctual attempts to reform, but failing each time. The Pearl had already disappeared into Golden Beryl’s room. Eyeball followed Leggy’s gaze, jumping in shock to the other Ruby’s side.

“What happened?” Eyeball whispered, now also unable to look away from the sparking broken gem.

“You’re leader now,” Leggy said as quietly as possible, barely able to hold back the flood of pain, sorrow and fear that was overwhelming her mind.

“What?” Eyeball asked, half unsure if she had heard her.

“You’re leader now,” Leggy repeated as the dam broke and tears came flooding, “And it’s all my fault.”

Eyeball sat beside Leggy, putting an arm around the distraught gem. Leggy buried her face in her legs and leaned into Eyeball’s embrace. The torrent of tears showing no signs of stopping. Eyeball stared at the wreckage of her old friend. One small shard had already formed into a finger that began inching around, searching for something.

A few minutes later Golden Beryl came out of her room with her Pearl mimicking her stiff posture but with a much more pleased look on her face. Golden Beryl on the other hand observed the room with a calm authority.

“Ruby, please join me in my room, I’d like to discuss the responsibilities of your new position.” She looked back to the Pearl and in a much more casual voice said, “You can clean up the mess now.”

The Pearl nodded and enthusiastically got to work gathering up the Ruby shards that had begun to wander off, sending them through the floor and out into space. 

Eyeball stood up, not wanting to cause anymore trouble with Golden Beryl. Leggy held onto her arm, but it was a grip easily broken. Once Eyeball was out of reach, she curled back up into her ball, pressing her forehead into her knees. Despite the short distance from the wall to the door, it was one of the longest walks she had ever made. The door closed behind her and she waited for the worst.

“Sit down,” Golden Beryl offered, gesturing to the same seat.

Eyeball obeyed and climbed onto the chair. She didn’t know what was happening, but her mind went through all the worst possibilities. 

Golden Beryl sat down on the opposite end of the table. She folded her hands under her chin and observed Eyeball for a few moments. “I imagine you have quite a few questions about what had happened while you were dormant. I trust your subordinate has told you about your promotion.”

“Yes.”

“And right now you’re wondering why I saw fit to shatter that Ruby, right?”

“Y...Yes.” Eyeball could barely keep the fear from her voice.

“A proper leader needs to be able to inspire others to follow their lead no matter what. Ruby had already proven she had poor judgment, poor control, poor planning and execution. Her one saving grace would be if she had unwavering support from her team.” As Golden Beryl spoke, the words ‘and it’s all my fault’ ran through Eyeball’s head. “Outside of the incident earlier, it’s clear you have all the qualities Ruby lacked. Why is it that until now, you’ve barely led a team?”

“Leadership is not my strong suit.”

“I beg to differ. Now, the last leader has really left things in a mess, but now that you’re in charge, let’s start fresh. To begin with, Ruby had said that the Crystal Gems are the reason behind your failure, offering false information and ultimately throwing your team off Earth’s moon into space. Did she at least get that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Now Ruby said there were seven gems, two of which were fused, but she did not specify the names of all involved. There’s at least one missing.”

“That’s because one of them was Rose Quartz in disguise to look like a human.”

“Rose Quartz you say? As in the leader of the Earth rebellion, Rose Quartz.” Golden Beryl quickly opened up a screen in front of her and started entering information.

“Yes. I had almost collected her gem, but she threw me out of the bubble she created.”

“This was on the moon?”

“No. She had been pulled into space with the rest of us. She had crashed into me and pulled me into her bubble. I realized she was The Rose Quartz after she healed a crack in my gem.”

“I see. So you failed to capture Rose Quartz, is that right?”

Eyeball froze as she realized what she had just confessed to. “Yes.”

“Don’t worry. As I said, this is a fresh start. Let’s just put the blame on the last leader for not holding the group together and not your idiocy of facing a dangerous enemy on your own while she was in control of the battle ground. Is that alright?”

“Yes.” 

“Do you know what happened to her after that?”

“No.”

“Okay, so now that we both have roughly the same information, I’m going to give you your first orders as leader. Once we’ve collected the rest of your team, we’ll head towards Earth and finish what you’ve started.”

“Finding Jasper?”

“No,” Golden Beryl looked up from the screen for the first time, “Capturing Rose Quartz.” She looked back down to the screen. “You’re dismissed now. Please inform your team of the situation as we find them and assist Tiger’s Eye in any way you can.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Eyeball slid out of the chair, wasting no time leaving the room.

“Remember, I’m a fair leader,” Golden Beryl said as Eyeball reached the door, “Loyalty, obedience and competence will always be rewarded no matter who you are.” She gave Eyeball what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it just sent chills down her spine.

“Yes, thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

As Eyeball reentered the main room, it was as if the place had reset to the scene from when they first stepped aboard. Tiger’s Eye hunched over the controls, Pearl standing patiently in the corner, and a Ruby huddled in the other corner. Eyeball sat down next to Leggy and wrapped her arms around her. Partly to comfort the still upset gem, and partly to comfort herself.

“You’re okay?” Leggy said as partly a question and partly a statement.

“Yes. Once we find the others, we’re heading back to Earth to find Rose Quartz.”

“Oh.” There wasn’t much more that needed to be said between the two of them.

Once Leggy seemed calm enough, Eyeball went up to the pilot’s station and explained Golden Beryl’s orders.

Tiger’s Eye let out a tired sigh and rubbed the smooth oval gem that stretched on her forehead like a permanent furrowed brow. “I’m not sure what help you can offer. I’ve tried everything. I’ve scanned the solar system. I’ve checked possible paths and I’ve even worked through a few improbable paths like the ones you two were on. I haven’t found so much as a shard of your team. Maybe they were picked up by someone else or maybe they found themselves a place to hide that’s messing with the scanners, but the chances of finding them are going from pretty unlikely to so unlikely that it would take a miracle to find them.”

“Would you suggest giving up?” Golden Beryl asked from the door. Everyone jumped, having not noticed the door opening.

“It depends on your schedule,” Tiger’s Eye said diplomatically, “There is a lot of debris to shift through and a few of the asteroids here are too metallic to be properly scanned. We’d have better luck extinguishing a star than finding a Ruby in this solar system anytime soon, and that’s assuming they are still in this solar system.”

“Then let’s move on with the plan. I have been rather anxious to meet Rose Quartz in person.”

“With just the two of us?” Eyeball asked.

“I count five gems here, do you not?”

Eyeball looked around, struggling to figure out which gems would be coming.

Golden Beryl shook her head and pointed to herself, counting. “One," then pointing to Pearl, "two," Tiger's Eye, "three," Eyeball, "four, and five.” Pointing to Leggy last.

“The Pearl?” Eyeball asked, “How can she help?”

“They say that Rose Quartz fought with her Pearl, and mine has a much better track record than hers did. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Pearl said.

“But…” Eyeball was about to question again but Golden Beryl held up a hand.

“I have only so much patience. Who is in charge of this ship?”

Eyeball closed her mouth and averted her eyes.

“Good answer. Tiger’s Eye, please set course for Earth. Let’s see if we can find where Rose’s been keeping herself.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“This is so exciting. I don’t think I’ve been this excited since the day I first met My Diamond. To think I’ll finally be meeting Rose Quartz herself. I can’t wait to find out all I can from her, like how she managed to go from just herself and a single Pearl to an entire army. What tricks did she use to steal loyalty away from the Diamonds themselves? Why she shattered Pink Diamond? How she was even able to commit such an act.”

“I’d rather forget such a disgraceful moment,” Eyeball muttered to herself.

“I know, such a disgrace that a Diamond wasn’t even able to command loyalty from her prized soldiers. Of course, leaders that can’t lead should suffer the consequences.”

Eyeball stepped back, her eye wide in shock. “That’s treasonous.”

“If a leader can’t prevent treason, then they aren’t really a leader, are they? I never got to see the battle personally, but I’ve read everything I could on it. It really opened my eyes to a gem’s potential and how poorly things are run. If a Quartz can lead an army, then it’s clear that resources were never properly utilized. No wonder there was a shortage. When I find her, I’m going to find out how she did it, then we’re going back to make Homeworld a better place. I’ll give our Diamond my findings and together we’ll command the loyalty of all gems like never before.”

“What if shattering Pink Diamond was what made gems loyal to Rose Quartz. Are you going to kill a diamond too?”

“We’ll see. For now I don’t see any reason to, but Blue Diamond certainly would have been shattered long ago if I were in charge.”

“You’re insane! No wonder you’re out here,” Eyeball shouted before covering her mouth, realizing the mistake she had made. All the gems on board watched the two, waiting quietly for her reaction.

Golden Beryl slipped her hand out of her robes. “You have already gone through three chances. Granted, you’re crimes are not that grave. Perhaps I should let them slip since it’s clear you need retraining.” She loomed over Eyeball, her eyes biting like an ice filled wind. “Both of you have grown too used to a lax leadership,” She said as her eyes fell onto Leggy. She grabbed Eyeball’s arm and dragged her along as she swooped towards the Ruby shaking in terror on the floor.

“Don’t you hurt her,” Eyeball shouted, summoning her knife and planting it into Golden Beryl’s arm.

Golden Beryl shrieked in pain, dropping Eyeball, who scrambled past her, scooping Leggy up in her arms. She ran past Golden Beryl again. The weapon dissipated and Golden Beryl turned around, her hand clutching the wounded arm.

“Where do you think you’re going to run?” Golden Beryl asked.

Eyeball froze and looked around. She could not identify any escape. She was unfamiliar with this ship and did not know if there were escape hatches, pods or any other means of exit beyond the platform they entered on. She looked to Tiger’s Eye, but it was clear that they had no allies on this ship.

“I am a FAIR LEADER. I was never going to harm her. Do you really think you were going to get away with that?”

There was only one way out of this room. Eyeball hurried through the door, setting Leggy down as soon as they were sealed inside and jammed the door with her knife. A powerful force smashed into the door, caving it inward.

“That’s not going to hold it for long.”

“What are we going to do?” Leggy asked.

Eyeball looked around. The situation they had found themselves in was even more of a dead end than before. 

“I don’t know,” She whispered.

Golden Beryl continued her assault on the door. With each attack the door grew weaker and weaker.

“Look out,” Leggy cried as she pulled Eyeball out of the way as the door flew out of its frame and smashed the wall across from it. 

Golden Beryl stood in the doorway. Murder glistened in her eyes as she stared down the two Rubies cowering in the corner.

“It is clear I made a mistake with you.” Her attempts to keep her voice even could not hide the growl in her voice. “I was too quick to assume loyalty,” Her eyes quickly darted to her injured arm, “And I received the consequences of it. Now, it’s clear that you fear me, but if you want to get off this ship alive, then right now say, ‘I value your leadership more than any other gem’.”

“I value your leadership more than any other gem.” Leggy’s voice quivered as she quickly said the phrase.

“Not you, her.” Golden Beryl pointed to Eyeball.

“I value your leadership more… I value…” Eyeball tried to say it, but her eye kept moving towards Leggy.

“Say it,” Golden Beryl spat.

“Please, just say it,” Leggy begged.

Eyeball continued trying to say it, but with each failure to finish the phrase, Golden Beryl stepped forward. With each step, Eyeball panicked more and more, and soon she was barely able to stutter the first word out. Soon, Golden Beryl was close enough to snatch Eyeball up by the neck. The terrified Ruby struggled as Leggy cowered below. 

“It’s clear to me that I’ve been out of duty too long. I’ve lost my touch. I always thought I was a good leader until you two came along.” Golden Beryl’s grip began to tighten, squeezing Eyeball’s form apart. “It’s clear that you don’t respect me enough. It’s clear that you don’t fear me enough. I don’t know what kind of bond you two have, but it’s clear that it’s affecting your ability to follow orders. And if I can’t find a way to break that bond, I can always break you.”

That threat was the last straw for Leggy. She lept onto Golden Beryl, clambering up until she reached the gem’s face and with one solid punch, made her let go of Eyeball. All three gems landed on the floor. Leggy and Eyeball were the first to compose themselves. While not a word was spoken, both of them knew that they had only one chance to win this fight. As Golden Beryl collected herself, Eyeball jumped onto Leggy’s shoulders and they fused.

Even with the two of them combined, Ruby was still quite a bit shorter than Golden Beryl, but she had the experience to know that size is only one tool to winning a fight. Not giving Golden Beryl time to defend, Ruby charged. Fists flew. Attack after attack landed. Ruby pinned her to the ground and continued her assault. From the doorway, Pearl and Tiger’s Eye watched in fear and awe.

One last blow and Ruby was ready to finish the fight. She summoned her knife and plunged it into Golden Beryl’s chest. After the innitial gasp of pain, Golden Beryl looked into her eyes. There was something unnerving about the tired joy evident in them. She grabbed onto the knife and directed it towards her gem, slicing it right towards her shoulder.

“Go on, finish it. I deserve to be shattered.” Golden Beryl quivered as she struggled to hold her form.

The request startled Ruby and she jumped back, losing hold of the fusion. Leggy was thrown back. As she got back on her feet, she rushed back at Golden Beryl, ready to push the still existing knife the rest of the way to the gem. Eyeball grabbed hold of her. She watched as Golden Beryl gave one last sad smile before she poofed.

Seeing their pause, Pearl rushed into the room, scooping up Golden Beryl’s gem and running out. “Now, Tiger!” She shouted as she crossed the threshold.

The floor opened up on the two of them. Before they even realized what was happening, they were falling away from the ship. Eyeball kept her tight hold on Leggy as they fell onto an icy surface. They could only watch helplessly as the ship flew away, abandoning them.

“Where are…” Leggy muttered as she looked around. “Are we on Pluto?” Leggy stood up, feeling the ice below her feet. “We’re on Pluto!”

Eyeball stood up, still looking at where the ship used to be.

“We’re on Pluto!” Leggy repeated.

“You tried to kill her,” Eyeball said, still half in thought.

“She had killed Ruby. She was hurting you. She wanted to break you. I thought... I thought it was the only way to save you.”

“You realize that if anyone finds out you nearly killed a Golden Beryl, even a banished one, when they find out… do you even realize how much trouble you’re in?”

“I don’t care. Ruby, I value you more than any other gem.” 

Eyeball half laughed and half cried of relief and exhaustion. She collapsed onto the ground in a cross legged position, breaking down as the events finally settled on her. This time, it was Leggy’s turn to sit next to her, holding her as she cried. 

“We can never go home,” Eyeball said through her tears.

“Why?”

“We’re failures and now we’re traitors.”

“But, I’m the one who’s the traitor. Why can’t you go home?”

“Because I’m with you?”

“They’ll be angry at you for not stopping me?”

A small laugh broke through the sadness. “No.”

“So why?”

Eyeball chuckled again, her sorrow slowly ebbing. “So we’re stuck on Pluto, huh.”

“Yeah. Look, there’s the hole Ruby punched in the ice because we still couldn’t find Jasper.” Leggy pointed to a large crack on a nearby glacier.

“You're right." Eyeball stood up and held out her hand. "Let’s look for a place to settle down.” 

“Okay,” Leggy said cheerfully, taking her hand, “Lead on.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry Amber, this did start as an attempt to follow through with your request, but halfway through Golden Beryl started getting interesting and the story got away from me. Maybe next time.


End file.
